A Picture is worth a thousand words... we have all heard that. But a good picture is worth so much more...

A picture captures a moment in time. Yet, when we look back at it, it often stirs much more than the basic memory banks... it can evoke strong feelings and revive emotions long forgotten.

A picture of an important moment can be shared with those not present and in doing so, can share this moment with someone not present. A picture can be a way to connect people who, at the moment, are not...

Unfortunately if not captured properly and if one does not possess the tools and/or skills to correct an improperly taken picture, then the moment that was, can be lost as time fades our memories...

We went to a Children's Christmas Party last December, perhaps the last one Alec will see with the wonderment of a child who still believes...

He met his "cousin" (actually his third cousin) Michala for the very first time in his life, and was thrilled to find that he had a relative close to his own age. They became instantaneous and fast friends... My son, who would not sing in the choir being assembled, was somehow dragged up on stage by his cousin.

I tried to capture the moment with a point and shoot, but somehow messed it up.

Alec is in the blue and white striped shirt and his cousin is to his left. This picture still brings fond memories of this moment to Helen and I, but it fails to capture what I saw. I now realize the opportunity missed.

Perhaps this picture can be improved, even a little. This is a lower resolution copy of the original I have. I am entering it in the January contest that Eric Cooper announced on behalf of Russel Ray. They are offering a prize of a full copy of Corel PaintShop Pro X4. Perhaps I should be grateful that I did not delete these pictures immediately. If you would like to enter, check out the original contest announcement.